The Duo's Performance
by Swift-Revived
Summary: After a battle like any other, Ladybug and Chat Noir are swamped by reporters and all of them are waiting for the answer to one question.


"Excellently done, My Lady, as purr-usual," Chat Noir smirked as he approached Ladybug from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She grabbed one of his fingers and peeled his hand away. "Oh, mon Chaton, your puns are going to be the death of me."

"But what a good death will be, no?"

"If you say so, Chat," she groaned. "Now, would you be a good kitty and deal with the cameras?"

Chat Noir looked past the back of Ladybug's radiant head to the sea of reporters, cameras, and civilians behind a thin line of police officers. "Don't tell me that the famous Ladybug is camera shy."

"Chat, you know you have the better face for television," she sarcastically confessed, "it only makes sense that you-"

Ladybug felt something metal slam into the back of her shoulder, pushing her forward into the prepared arms of her partner. "Ladybug, Ladybug," several reporters called out in unison. The flashes from cameras invaded her eyes as Chat noir helped her back upright.

She smiled and waved at the crowd, barely keeping her eyes fully open. "How do you deal with this?"

Chat Noir lowered his head to be beside Ladybug's ear. "Practice, my lady, lots of practice."

"Ladybug, Chat Noir, are you two dating yet?" The loudest voice flew above the rest.

"Not yet-" he placed his hand back onto Ladybug's shoulder "-but the option is always available to her."

A wave of laughter rippled through the crowd as Ladybug knocked Chat Noir's hand off for a second time. "Ladybug," an undistracted reporter crawled her way forward through the sea of news people, "what's your message to all the little girls at home who look up to you for inspiration?"

"Message?"

"Yes, do you have one for all the underrepresented people watching at home?"

"Oh, well," Ladybug stuttered, "I guess that I would have to say… um… anything's possible if yo-"

"Ladybug, Chat noir," a third reporter cried, clawing his way to the front and dragging his cameraman closely behind, "you've yet to comment on your invitation to the 20th annual children's charity event tomorrow."

Every microphone and person stood perfectly still in a moment of serene bliss from the noise, before the wall of noise returned, burying Ladybug and Chat Noir in questions about the event. Ladybug stepped back and brought her hand up next to her chin, her fingers slowly twitching. Chat Noir quietly noticed her murmuring stutter and returned his hand to its position on Ladybug's shoulder. "Ladybug and I would be delighted to attend the charity event."

"What song will you be singing?"

The serenity returned as the barricade of microphones awaited patiently for the hero's response. "We'll… uh," Chat Noir tried to speak. "We'll… be… keeping it a secret. It will be a surprise for the crowd."

The many disappointed "Aw's" ran past Chat Noir as he felt his fingers being crushed by a small, red and black hand. With every bone he felt snap, the smile he wore on his face became harder and harder to maintain. "We really should be going," Ladybug excused the pair, "we really need to practice."

Ladybug continued to grip onto Chat Noir's fingers as she used her free hand to yo-yo them up onto the roof of a nearby building, out of view of the reporters below. She released her hold on the boy's fingers and he quickly put them against his mouth, covering them with his other hand.

"Not that I mind holding your hand, but I never expected my lad-"

Before the last words left his mouth, he felt Ladybug's hand push his own hand against it. She looked him in the eyes and sighed deeply. "Why did you accept that invitation?"

"Well," he spoke, pushing his hand out and giving himself a small pocket of air, "I didn't feel like it was right to reject an invitation to a charity event that helps children."

"Did you know we would have to sing?"

"No, is that a problem?"

"Yes," Ladybug exploded, "I can't sing at all."

Chat noir leaned one hand against a nearby wall and brushed the other through his hair. "It's hard to imagine someone with a voice as beautiful as yours can't sing."

Ladybug sighed again and slid herself down a wall. "I guess there's nothing I can do now. Unless there's some magical way I can learn to sing by tomorrow.

Chat sauntered over to the defeated Ladybug and extended out a hand. "I'd be happy to teach you."

"You," Ladybug laughed as she looked up from the resting place on her arms, "sing?"

"Don't act so surprised, I'll have you know my friends tell me I sing rather well."

"Well now I know you're lying, but it's not like I have much of a choice."

Ladybug grabbed onto her partner's hand and let him lift her onto her feet. "First thing's first," she commanded, "we need a song, know any good ones?"

Chat noir placed a hand against his chin for a moment, continuing to make eye contact with Ladybug. "How about our song?"

"Our song?"

"Yea, our theme song. You know, the one Jagged Stone wrote in our honor."

"Doesn't that mean on of us needs to play the guitar?"

"If we played the original, yes, but there's a version that someone made where they play the piano."

"You know how to play the piano?"

"There are many things you do not know about me, my lady."

Chat Noir pulled out his baton and clicked it open. He pressed down on several buttons before tossing it to Ladybug. On the screen displayed the lyrics to the suggested song under the subtitles "Soloist 1" and "Soloist 2"

Ladybug scrolled through the lyrics. "Which soloist am I?"

"Number 1, of course."

"You say that like it's obvious."

"Isn't it? Soloist two sings about their undying love for soloist one, so that should obviously be me."

"Wha-"

"And soloist one sings about the handsome guy they're pining after-" Chat flexed the muscles on his arms "-doesn't that remind you of someone?"

Ladybug giggled and slapped Chat noir with his baton. "You're unbearable."

"It's all a part of the Chat Noir charm."

The next day came faster than either hero was expecting, Marinette had only gotten an hour of so of practice with Chat Noir in before she had to leave. In his defense, he really wasn't that bad of a singer, but she was still going to flop on stage. "Hello, earth to Marinette?"

Her friend's voice broke Marinette out of her distressing thoughts. "Sorry, Alya, my mind was gone."

"Probably dreaming about Adrien again. Anyway, I asked if you were going to the charity event at the Eiffel tower tonight."

"I don't know, Alya."

"Ladybug and Chat noir will be there and they're going to sing."

"I think-"

"Sing, Marinette, _sing_."

"I think I'm going to sit this one out, but make sure to have enough fun for the both of us."

"Girl," Alya lightly pushed Marinette, "you know I do that even when you're with me."

The two girls entered the small pastry shop and the warmth and smell of heaven rushed over them. "Alright, girl, I'll catch you tomorrow," Alya hugged Marinette goodbye before she disappeared out of the doorway.

Marinette flopped down on her bed. "What am I going to do, Tikki?"

Tikki flew out of her purse and in front of Marinette's face. "Do you think you're ready for the show?"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready to sing in front of anyone, ever."

"You sounded fine in front of Chat Noir yesterday."

"But that was only one person, what do I do when there's thousands of them?"

"Well, do you think Chat Noir would be willing to help?"

"Maybe, it's probably worth a shot. Alright, Tikki, transform me."

A sudden flash of light projected from Marinette's room and Ladybug now stood in its center. She whipped her yo-yo off her belt and opened it up. She dialed in Chat noir's number and hit call. It only took a second of ringing before Chat Noir picked up.

"Hello, my lady," he spoke, with the sound of wind rushing past in the background.

"Chat, where are you?"

"Just getting in my daily exercise before the big event."

"That isn't for another couple hours."

"We're supposed to show up in an hour."

"An hour?"

"Yes, something about sound levels and accommodating for our 'superhero needs'. Do you know what that means?"

"Listen, Chat, do you think you could help me out."

"With?"

"With my singing."

"Don't tell me the famous Ladybug is also nervous."

"I… ugh… alright, you caught me. I just want to sound my best in front of everybody."

"Oh, Bugaboo, you already sound wonderful. But, if you want me to make you sound even better, I'm at your service. Where shall we meet?"

"You remember that statue of us?"

"How could I ever forget."

Ladybug landed behind the baton twirling cat and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing an audible gasp. "My Lady," he spoke between deep breaths, "you startled me."

"I thought you were supposed to be the more observant one?"

"I guess cute little ladybugs can slip under my radar."

Chat's flirt didn't seem to faze Ladybug's intense concentration, there was something on her mind. "What… what happens if I mess up," she muttered, her eyes still locked on the ground in front of her, "what if they laugh at me?"

"Ladybug," Chat spoke with an almost scornful manner, "the only thing you have to worry about is your worrying."

Ladybug looked back at her partner. His face had transformed from his sly grin to a genuine smile. He placed his hands on both her shoulders and stared deeply into her big blue eyes as they gazed back. "I know that you sound amazing, like heaven itself sent down its most talented angel. Trust me, even if you do forget a word or miss your cue, everyone will be too distracted by your angelic voice."

She sighed deeply. "Thanks, Chat, but I still don't feel like I can perform in front of that many people. It's just so overwhelming, how do you deal with it."

"Well-" he pulled both his hands away from Ladybug "-do you me to answer honestly?"

"Yes."

"I kind of… maybe… imagine that they're all you."

Chat cringed with anticipation of Ladybug's remark of the creepiness of what he just said. He didn't dare open his eyes.

"What?" She asked quietly.

"What?"

"Why?"

"Well… you're my partner, so I know that even if I do screw up or do something bad, you'll still be there."

Chat watched as Ladybug's face turned from confusion to admiration and continued, "I just imagine that they're someone I can trust, someone who will be there to catch me when I trip on my baton and not criticize me for my clumsiness."

"Thanks, Chat, I'll try to imagine them as someone I trust."

"Good to hear, My lady. Still up for some last minute practice?"

"You didn't think I'd call you all the way out here for a little pep talk, did you?"

Ladybug and Chat Noir arrived almost half an hour after their allotted practice time began. The crew members of the show didn't look too pleased to see the two superheroes of Paris, instead, they hooked two black boxes that connected to microphones up to whatever thing was closest to a belt on each costume. The mic that ran over Ladybug's ear rubbed uncomfortably against it, and she kept moving it around. The two were shoved onto the stage and given a thumbs up by a man behind a board with many buttons and sliders.

Chat took a deep breath before opening up with his rendition of 'Ave Maria', he applied a strained look to his face as each note left his mouth. A few moments later, the man behind the board gave another thumbs up and glanced to Ladybug. She looked over to Chat, her eyes begging for help.

He covered his mic. "Just do some warm ups."

Ladybug nodded and began to sing whatever note came to her mind. Her voice flowed in every direction as she pushed herself to keep singing. She moved her eyes to get a view of anyone in audible range. Chat seemed to glow as he watched her sing. The man behind the board was listening to a pair of headphones and adjusting the sliders. The other crew members who were setting up banners and tables stopped to listen, they didn't seem to hate it. When she stopped singing, Chat Noir was the one to give her a thumbs up.

"Alright," the man behind the board approached the two heroes, "you two should be all set up for the show, we'll do a quick check up with the equipment before we start. This stage can only support up to three thousand pounds, so try not to stomp on it too hard. That should be everything, but if there's something we can do to help, come find someone with 'Crew' written on their shirts. Okay?"

"Alright, thank you."

"No problem."

For next two and a half hours, Ladybug and Chat Noir sat in their provided chairs behind the stage and practiced their song one more time. A few crew members came by to check if they had everything they needed and another asked Chat Noir if their piano was to his liking.

Ten minutes before the show was due to begin, a man in a suit approached the two heroes. "Hello, Ladybug and Chat Noir, I'm glad we've gotten this opportunity to work together."

"This is exciting for all of us," Chat Noir responded, almost bouncing in his seat, "Monsieur?"

"Monsieur Moreau."

A crew member ran up to Moreau and shoved a microphone into his hands and ushered him onto the steps to the stage. Even when he was pushed, Moreau seemed to maintain his gentlemanly swagger.

"Good Evening, Paris," Ladybug could hear every word spoken through a speaker pointed out the back of the stage, "how are you all doing tonight?"

"Good, good. Ladies and Gentleman, I want to thank you all for coming out tonight for this amazing charity event. I just want to say, isn't today just the most gorgeous day ever? I mean, the sun's gone and it's still too hot for this tuxedo."

Ladybug couldn't tell if he was trying to be funny, but there was only one laugh that could be heard amid the sea of faces. "Anyway, we have an amazing show for you tonight, full of some of the best performers. Our first performance needs no introduction from me…"

Moreau's voice trailed off as Chat Noir grabbed onto Ladybug's hand and dragged her to the stairs leading up to the stage. Moreau continued, "Please put your hands together for Ladybug and Chat Noir."

The sound wave of the claps rocketed into Ladybug's body and her feet sunk deeper into the ground. Chat Noir gripped tighter knot her hand and walked up on stage, Ladybug's feet dragging against the floor.

The familiar wall of light that came from cameras blinded Ladybug once more and as the vision returned, the crowd was revealed. In front of her stood an ocean of thousands of smiling and cheering faces, all staring at directly at her. The cheers of the crowd fell silent and the only sound Ladybug could her was that of her own heart. I'm not ready

Chat Noir leaned over to his stationary partner. "You ready?"

Chat Noir took a step forward and all the eyes were drawn to him. "Good Evening, Paris!"

The crowd responded with a large cheer that only made Chat Noir's smile larger and Ladybug's heart sink.

"Ladies and Gentleman," Chat Noir continued, "are you ready for a show?"

The screaming became even more intense as Chat Noir began to play their song. Ladybug stepped forward, letting the spotlight fall onto her. A silence fell over the crowd. Just imagine they're all Alya… or Chat.

"Another day," she began to sing, her body still motionless and stuff, "I'm back at school. I think about him, he's so cool. He looks at me, I look away. But does he see me anyway?"

Chat Noir continued to play the piano and slowly moving it closer to Ladybug. Before her next cue, Chat Noir grabbed her hand and spun her like a top.

The backup vocals kicked in through the speakers."Oh-oh-oh!"

"He's got me spinning around," Ladybug sang with her voice shaking as she recreated her words with her action.

"Oh-oh-oh!"

Ladybug grabbed onto Chat Noir's shoulders and swung her feet upwards until she was completely upside down. "My feet are off the ground."

"Oh-oh-oh!"

Ladybug landed on one knee and one hand slamming onto the stage "And when the sun goes down. That's what I become…"

"Miraculous," several dim lights shot up with intensity as Ladybug hit the chorus, "Simply the best! Up to the test when things go wrong!  
Miraculous, the luckiest! The power of love, always so strong!"

Chat Noir watched with admiration as Ladybug became more comfortable with the millions of eyes watching them. He became mesmerized by the fluid like movements of her body as she elegantly danced around the stage. He could feel his own smile show itself every time Ladybug would look back at him. As she sung her last note, she looked back to Chat Noir, who pushed away his keyboard and let the speaker system play the music.

"I am a cat," he began his verse, "just chillin' out."

He tried to place an arm around Ladybug, but she slipped underneath, causing him to fall onto the floor of the stage with one leg in the air and resting his head on his hand. "But in the night," he fell onto his stomach, resting his head in both his hands and looking up at Ladybug, "she's all that I think about. I feel so strong when she's around."

Ladybug threw her yo-yo up into the supports and back down around Chat Noir. "She picks me up," as he sang, the yo-yo around him pulled him back onto his feet, "when I am down."

"Oh-oh-oh," the backup vocals return.

Chat waved his finger back and forth, "Oh no you'll never know."

"Oh-oh-oh!"

He shaped his hands into a heart and pounded it against his chest, "My love can only grow."

"Oh-oh-oh!"

Ladybug watched as her partner poorly danced his way over to her, what she first thought to be his sly grinned seemed to turn more genuine with each step closer. He placed the tips of his fingers and his thumb against her cheek. She felt the leather of his suit glide across her skin as suggestive noises arose from the crowd. The beat that her heart seemed to skip stopped her from hearing his line, but before she knew it, Chat Noir transferred the singing back to ladybug with a flick of her nose.

"Miraculous! Simply the best," as Ladybug sang, her mind wandered to her partner while he danced with the moves belonging to a man three times his age. "Up to the test when things go wrong!"

Ladybug reached out her hand, not expecting the pull into her partner's chest. She looked up to her partner's blushing face and he looked away from the audience. She stole his smirk and looked right into the audience. "Miraculous, the luckiest! The power of love always so strong!"

Ladybug felt the rise of her partner's chest as both of them hit the long note. She could feel herself losing air and her sound started to become strained. Chat Noir glanced down at his struggling partner and braced himself.

He spun Ladybug around, letting her catch her breath as her head moved, and dipped her. As the note ended, Chat Noir felt his eyes being pulled into the two deep blue seas in Ladybug's head. The music died down and the two heroes stood stationary, looking at each other. Ladybug mimicked Chat's hand movement from earlier against his cheek.

"My Lady," Chat whispered, "that was purr-"

She removed her hand from his face and shot him a face of disgust.

"Perfect."

"Kiss, Kiss, Kiss," the crowd began.

As the words of the crowd entered Chat's ears, his face began to flush with red color and he gripped tighter onto Ladybug's sides. "Well," his voice cracked, "we can't disappoint the crowd."

Ladybug looked away from Chat's eyes, taking away the smile from her face. "Uhh," he quietly tried to correct himself, "we… we don't have to if you-"

Ladybug swung her arms around Chat's neck and pulled herself up and ran her lips against his. It was only for a brief moment, but Chat could still feel the softness of her lips run along his and the taste of the lip gloss she wore. Chat closed his eyes and pushed himself harder into Ladybug, craving the feeling of her silky lips against his own.


End file.
